The construction of effective configuration for satellite communication systems is discussed. As an example, we analyse the digital satellite communication system for the Voronezh − Kharkiv − Volgograd − Rostov-na-Donu region. Based on the proposed performance criterion, we found the optimal power of the airborne transmitter for the space stations of this communication system. Regional maps of the error probability for different configurations of satellite communication systems were constructed with the use of the developed algorithms and software.